Tania and I got along to see Coldplay on Saturday night for the second time in the last few years.
Chris Martin and the boys certainly put on a great show, fantastic sound and energy to boot. The crowd where we were - in the mosh pit, were singing and dancing around having a great time. It really showed again that you can't beat good live music.
Unfortunately, the stadium and the drink availability were probably the worst I have ever experienced.
As we entered the stadium and were herded around the back of the stand past the half a dozen caravans and one bar area, the lines were horrendously long. We asked one concert goer how long they had been in the line to get a drink, they responded with a scowl and said "over a ****** hour" - this put us off waiting in line.
Down to the grass area we went to wait for Coldplay to start.
Thirty minutes into the show we made a beeline from the crowd back up to where the food and drink was. At last we could get a beer, wine or even a bottle of water and go on our way back to the music. Oh no, the bar was closed and not one caravan could even supply us with water - WHAT!! Are you kidding me?
The only option we seemed to have was to squeeze through the fences and get into the restricted area to drink water out of the hose-tap behind the stand - C'mon!! Is this 3rd world or what?
Without a drink on-board we went back to the music and watched the rest of the show.
Luckily we left just as the band finished and got out early. Friends of ours were herded through very narrow unlit spaces and felt unsafe with the crowd surge trying to get out.
Having attended many, many concerts over the years, this was probably the worst experience of catering and crowd management yet.
Great Music - Bad Experience!